It was inevitable, but I think that Matt Drudge has successfully made the debate over Global Climate Change a political viewpoint as rational as religion’s role in politics. Readers of the Drudge Report will know that Drudge is definitely slanted towards the anti-global warming end of things and relishes in any opportunity to prove Al Gore wrong. In doing so, he’s not just been feeding into the anti-global warming base of support, but has been doing it to such an extent that my only conclusion is that he now supports global cooling.
Today’s front page of the Drudge Report greeted readers with a claim that Earth is on the brink of an Ice Age. In what will be my first argument against the political viewpoint of global cooling, I’ll argue that’s completely ludicrous and inconclusive. The problem is, that with the coming of an Ice Age, that would only further justify the existence of global warming under some theories (remember the movie The Day After Tomorrow?)
At the same time, yeah its been a colder winter than we’ve seen in a decade and a half, but that really doesn’t mean much of anything. This past year was cooler than average, true, but that stands in the face of nearly a full decade of warmer than average temperatures. The fundamental problem with climatology is that since measurements have only been made since the late 1800s and computer programs that can at least semi-accurately model potential changes have become so in the last few decades, its not going to be possible for either side of the debate, global warming or cooling, to argue that their view is right until it has already come to pass and its too late.
My view on it is to be on the safe side. If climate change period is being caused by humans, which considering the destruction we’ve wrought on the plant the last century and half is not implausible, let’s start cutting back on greenhouse gas emissions and destruction of the forests. In the process, we could ween ourselves off fossil fuels that will inevitably run out and find new methods of product production that don’t depend heavily on a base of natural resources that can take anywhere from a half to several centuries to replace.
Either way you look at it, its a net gain for humanity. Greater sustainability and we get to keep Earth and a climate that has been so sustainable and good to us for the better part of the last 10,000 years.